Saying Goodbye
by Writergirl95
Summary: Brooke nearly drowns, sells her company, deals with her control freak mom in-law, gets married, has twins, and nearly dies again at the hands of Psycho Xavier. A lot has happened since Peyton left tree hill. Brooke calls her one night shortly after being attacked and Dan's death. Just a one shot because I felt like their friendship was left so unresolved. Read&Review please!


Brook sits in her living room one night, the twins are fast asleep and Julian is working late. She contemplates everything that has happened, being attacked, Nathan being kidnapped, Dan's death. It all feels surreal. The kind of thing you hear about but never expect to happen to you or someone you know. Then again that was how things went in tree hill. Only in tree hill would a girl that was supposedly not able to have kids end up giving birth to twins, it's the kind of thing you expect to see only in the movies. How many girls who weren't fictional characters in horror movies could say they were attacked on prom night? The thought made Brooke think of Peyton, which led her to remember all the many things she had missed. For so long Peyton was the one that knew everything, had been there when anything interesting had happened in Brooke's life. Now she had missed so much, Brooke had nearly died twice and Peyton hadn't even visited once. She didn't even come to her wedding. That was the one that stung the most, mostly because it was then that Brooke realized how far they'd drifted apart. Brooke picked up the phone a dialed Peyton's number. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say but she knew she wanted to say something. Because she hated this! This distance between them, both literally and metaphorically. She felt sad and hurt and well angry! Didn't her ex-best friend miss her at all? Brooke knew that people grow up and apart but she couldn't accept it, not from Peyton!

The phone rang a few times, Lucas picked up.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey its Brooke is Peyton there?" Brooke asked.

"Uh yeah hold on a sec" Lucas replied.

Brooke heard shuffling and Lucas telling Peyton who it was.

"one sec" Lucas said.

"Luke, you know your brother was kidnapped and nearly killed right? Don't you think that warrants a visit?" Brooke blurted out.

Lucas and Nathan's relationship was between the two of them, Brooke kicked herself for trying to guilt Lucas just because she was bothered by her relationship with Peyton.

"What?" Lucas asked bewildered and confused at her random question.

"Never mind, can I just talk to Peyton?" Brooke said flustered.

"Uh sure, here she is" Lucas said his voice clearly indicating he was weirded out by Brooke's strange behaviour.

"Hey Brooke" Peyton's voice came on the phone.

"I haven't seen you in three years you know that? And I haven't even talked to you since you said you weren't coming to my wedding. What happened to us Peyton?" Brooke asked her voice becoming shaky.

"Brooke, you know I wanted to be there..." Peyton started.

"But you weren't" Brooke interrupted her. "I invited you, and I invited you to my baby shower, the boy's christenings and every time something was in the way and you were too busy. It was always a bad time. It's always going to be a bad time, life is busy but when you care about someone you make time for them Peyton." Brooke said the anger seeping into her voice.

"Brooke, I care about you but life gets in the way sometimes and there's no way to help that. It's not like you were ever coming to visit us either" Peyton tried to reason with her.

"You never invited me Peyton!" Brooke said. "I just don't get it, after all these years, everything we've been through you just don't care. You're supposed to be my best friend!"

"We both have families now Brooke, those have to come first" Peyton told her.

"Three years." Brooke said quietly. Tears pricking her eyes now.

She raised a hand and wiped them away.

"I miss you" Brooke told her old friend, trying to get her to understand.

"I miss you too!" Peyton told her.

"Just not enough I guess" Brooke said sadly. "Have a good life "

She didn't say the words sarcastically, she meant them with all her heart. But Brooke couldn't hold onto the hollow shell of what their friendship used to be. She had to move on, and so she needed to say goodbye.

She hung up the phone before Peyton could respond. Brooke half hoped it would ring and Peyton would be calling her back but she knew that it wouldn't happen and it didn't.

Hayley called that night to check up on her. Even with all the horrible things that had just happened with her family, she still worried about her best friend.

"I love you, you know that Hayley?" Brooke asked her.

"Of course, I love you too Brooke" Hayley said. Wondering what brought on the spontaneous affection.

When Julian got home that night he found Brooke on the couch seeming deep in thought. He curled up next to her on the couch. Brooke knew that she was all grown up, and this is what her life would be. Saying goodbye to Peyton let her focus on her present. This was her family, her loving husband and her adorable sons, her favorite godson Jamie and his hilarious good hearted mother Hayley, her best friend.

It was a good life, a perfect life and Brooke knew she would be happy.


End file.
